Interview with porn actress Bonnie Blue goes with a bang
The room we'd been allocated was a glass box in the midst of the Sunday Times newsroom and at about 5.30pm a leaving ceremony must have taken place. I knew this because suddenly all the journalists in the outer office began rhythmically thumping their desks.
This is an ancient — and sometimes rather moving — tradition going back to Fleet Street's hot metal days when a departing colleague, or an apprentice who'd finished his training, was led out of the building while everyone bashed their metal rulers on tables to make a celebratory din. And this is how I found myself explaining to a rather puzzled Bonnie Blue that we call this 'banging out'.
It is now three months since the Supreme Court ruling brought clarity to the meaning of sex under the Equality Act. Many organisations, especially sporting bodies, seem relieved they are now legally compelled to do what they'd wanted all along, ie override a tiny activist minority to protect female spaces, categories and employees.
But for some gender soldiers the war will never be over. On the BBC website is a court report about a 'woman' called Joanna Rowland-Stuart, a 'wife' who is charged with picking up her own samurai sword then stabbing and slicing her husband Andrew to death. Only many paragraphs down are we told this person is transgender and there are no women in this story. A man has been charged with killing another man. It is male-on-male violence. Yet in the BBC's fantasy world a woman buys a samurai sword and chops up her husband.
There have also been some astonishing pronouncements in the Sandie Peggie employment tribunal, concerning a nurse of 30 years' service with an unimpeachable record, suspended by NHS Fife for asking to undress without being watched by a male doctor, Dr Beth Upton.
Isla Bumba (salary £50K), NHS Fife's 'equality lead', was asked under oath if she was female. 'No one knows' their own sex, she said, unless they've had their chromosomes tested. When Dr Kate Searle was asked the same question, she replied 'It's on my birth certificate … It's a decision made at birth by the people delivering the baby. I'm not an expert in it.' She is in fact a senior A&E consultant. I wonder what she thinks is observed in utero during a 20-week pregnancy scan.
I bump into an acquaintance I've not seen in person for five years but whose photos I often view on Instagram. I've always regarded her as the most beautiful woman I know, yet I can barely follow our conversation for thinking: what did she do to her lovely face?
Her cheeks bulge with fillers, her mouth is strangely swollen. I imagine her staring into the mirror despairing at the hollowings and thinnings of age and thinking 'just a little bit here, a tad more there'. 'Aesthetics' doctors are happy to take your money and will rarely say 'stop'. Her face doesn't really look younger, just… odd. The saddest thing is that with her bone structure and skin she'd have been beautiful at any age.
A very droll, self-deprecating interview with Bill Nighy on Radio 4's This Cultural Life made me realise I hadn't watched him in much else except Love Actually. So I checked out his other work and found on Apple TV David Hare's 2011-14 plays The Worricker Trilogy with Nighy as a cynical, elegantly tailored renegade spy. You think nothing much has changed in a decade, that we are the same society just with more sophisticated phones. But the trilogy's subject matter, the post-9/11 world order, a PM's dodgy deals and secret rendition seem so small-fry now. Yeah, Johnny Worricker, you ain't seen nothing yet.
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The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Trump won't rule out pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell. Can anyone trust her?
Over the course of a decade, Ghislaine Maxwell 'facilitated and participated in the sexual abuse of multiple young girls' alongside her partner Jeffrey Epstein while enjoying a 'life of extraordinary luxury and privilege,' according to federal prosecutors. From 1994 to 2004, Maxwell and Epstein worked together to groom young girls — some as young as 14 years old — and enticed them to travel to Epstein's properties, prosecutors said. During a monthlong trial in 2021, survivors testified in federal court in Manhattan that Maxwell had groomed them, took their passports, and sexually abused them. Four victims testified. Prosecutors argued she had lured them into a false sense of security by presenting as a 'glamorous, older woman' who normalized a culture of abuse and silence that shrouded her and Epstein, according to a sentencing memorandum. The federal judge overseeing the case said Maxwell 'played a pivotal role' in their abuse. Four years later, President Donald Trump has, notably, nothing negative to say about the case against a woman he knows, the accusations against her, or the jury's verdict. The president — whose years-long relationship with Epstein and revived allegations of abuse involving the convicted sex offender are under intense public scrutiny — has not ruled out pardoning Maxwell. Maxwell, who is now 63, is not scheduled to be released from prison until 2040. She appealed her conviction to the Supreme Court, which the Department of Justice opposes. Her best chance of early release is a presidential pardon, and legal experts warn that his public statements suggesting that a pardon is even remotely on the table could encourage Maxwell to do anything she can to secure one. Her attorney David Markus said she would 'welcome' one. It's unclear whether anyone involved with Maxwell's case — from Justice Department interviews to the president's public musings on a potential pardon — have considered the impacts to her victims. Former Justice Department pardon attorney Liz Oyer says those discussions have been 'shockingly overlooked.' 'Nobody is talking about how the victims may feel even by these discussions being had,' she told All Rise. Teresa Helm, who had testified against Maxwell, told MSNBC the consequences of a pardon 'would mean the complete crumbling of this justice system that should first and foremost stand for, fight for and protect survivors.' Pardoning Maxwell would be 'extremely problematic and would be a huge loss for individuals like myself,' witness and Epstein accuser Annie Farmer told the BBC. On August 11, Maxwell is scheduled to sit for a jailhouse deposition sought by the GOP-led House Oversight Committee. In a letter to the committee, her attorneys have asked for some immunity protections — and made another appeal to Trump for clemency. 'If Ms. Maxwell were to receive clemency, she would be willing — and eager — to testify openly and honestly, in public, before Congress in Washington, D.C.,' according to the letter, Maxwell's legal team provided to The Independent. 'She welcomes the opportunity to share the truth and to dispel the many misconceptions and misstatements that have plagued this case from the beginning.' Her attorneys insist she did not receive a fair trial, which served as a 'scapegoat' after Epstein's death. The Independent has requested comment from Maxwell's attorneys. A central question is whether she is telling the truth. Trump's own Justice Department in 2020 said she 'brazenly' lied under oath. The judge who oversaw her federal criminal case said she failed to show any 'acceptance of responsibility' for her actions. Oyer told CBS News that Maxwell is likely 'desperate to get out from under that sentence,' adding that 'it's hard to really believe that the Justice Department would rely on anything that she might have to say. 'She has a live criminal appeal. It doesn't make sense that she'd jeopardize it unless she gets some kind of immunity,' wrote journalist Jacob Shamsian, who extensively covered Maxwell's cases. 'And if she does, how can you trust her? She has every incentive in the world to get out of her 20-year sentence.' Democratic Senators Dick Durbin and Sheldon Whitehouse have sought a public commitment that the Justice Department will not advocate for a pardon or commute Maxwell's sentence. The senators called it 'highly unusual' for deputy attorney general Todd Blanche — Trump's former criminal defense attorney — to interview Maxwell, rather than the prosecutors who are familiar with the case. The Trump administration fired Maurene Comey, one of the prosecutors who successfully brought the case against Maxwell, and who questioned witnesses and abuse survivors who testified against her. Durbin and Whitehouse warned that her 'documented record of lying and her desire to secure early release' may lead her to 'provide false information or selectively withhold information in return for a pardon or sentence commutation.' When charges were first announced in July 2020, Trump — whose friendship with Epstein spanned roughly the same time period at the center of Maxwell's case — claimed that he wasn't 'following the case' but said 'I wish her well.' 'I just wish her well, frankly,' he told reporters at the White House at the time. 'I've met her numerous times over the years, especially since I lived in Palm Beach and I guess they lived in Palm Beach. But I wish her well, whatever it is.' Last week, when asked whether he was considering pardoning her in exchange for her cooperation in the Epstein investigation, Trump said he was 'allowed to do it.' Later, he said he 'can't talk about pardons' while Blanche continues to speak with Maxwell. On Saturday, he said it was 'no time to be talking about pardons,' and on Monday, he stressed that he was 'allowed' to pardon Maxwell, 'but nobody has approached me with it.' Maxwell's trial was largely seen as the public reckoning against Epstein that the convicted sex offender never received. Epstein died in his jail cell in 2019 following his arrest before his own trial on sex trafficking charges. 'Ms. Maxwell is not punished in place of Epstein,' New York District Judge Alison Nathan said at her sentencing hearing in 2022. 'Ms. Maxwell is being punished for the role that she played.' Nathan called Maxwell's conduct 'heinous and predatory,' and the 20-year prison sentence imposed on her was intended to 'acknowledge the harm that Ms. Maxwell has caused.' The cases were also enmeshed in wider conspiracy theories amplified by the president and his allies that powerful Democratic figures are trafficking children, claims at the center of so-called 'Pizzagate' and QAnon communities that infected wider Republican politics. But the Trump administration's failure to release so-called 'files' surrounding the Epstein case, which critics had hoped to reveal public figures who exploited and abused young girls while, has fueled allegations that the president is participating in a cover up. After handing binders of mostly previously released evidence in the Epstein case to far-right influencers in February, Bondi reportedly told Trump his name appeared in unreleased files. The Justice Department had reportedly worked around clock to clear 100,000 files connected to the case for public release — but never released them. Elon Musk — who earlier this year tossed what he called a 'bomb' into his falling out with Trump by accusing the president of being in the 'files' — has amplified allegations that Maxwell intends to implicate Democratic officials in the investigation. The idea goes: spurious evidence presented by Maxwell would reaffirm the president's claims he did 'nothing wrong' during his relationship with Epstein while a guilty Trump reaps praise from his base for taking down pedophiles. On his X account, Musk responded to a viral post detailing the allegations with a bullseye emoji. Any revelations from Maxwell's testimony with the help of Trump, who is desperate to change the conversation, could generate a generate a storm of distractions. A pardon quid pro quo would risk political blowback for Trump and his enablers while adding more fuel to allegations of a cover up. Inflaming the tension is a report from The Wall Street Journal that accused the president of writing a bawdy birthday card to Epstein in 2003, which allegedly included 'several lines of typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman,' with a birthday wish that 'may every day be another wonderful secret.' Trump has denied ever writing such a note and sued the newspaper, its publishers and the journalists whose bylines appeared on the story for $10 billion. The person who could speak to the authenticity of that message and allegations against Trump is Maxwell, who allegedly asked for birthday greetings from Epstein's friends and put them together in a book for him. During a two-day interview with Blanche, Maxwell answered questions about 'about 100 different people' with potential ties to the Epstein ring, according to her attorney. In exchange, Maxwell was offered a limited form of immunity that would prevent prosecutors from using statements against her in a criminal case. Following her interview with Blanche, Markus said she answered 'all of the questions truthfully, honestly and to the best of her ability.'
Daily Mail
9 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Man, 31, arrested on suspicion of murder after quadruple stabbing that killed two men at London business
A man aged 31 has been arrested on suspicion of murder after two people were killed in a quadruple stabbing at a London business. The Metropolitan Police announced the charges faced by a man from Hackney, east London, who had initially been detained following Monday's attacks in Southwark. He remains in hospital with injuries not thought to be life-threatening, Scotland Yard said today. Emergency services were called to Long Lane in Bermondsey at about 1pm on Monday following reports of multiple stabbings inside a commercial address. A 58-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene and a 27-year-old man later died in hospital. Two other men, both in their 30s, were also taken to hospital. The Metropolitan Police said the attack was not being treated as terror-related. The stabbings are understood to have taken place near consultancy firm Prospira Global and housing provider Trademark Homes. A resident, who asked not to be named, told the PA news agency: 'It's terrifying. 'I walk past there all the time - it makes you feel really uneasy. 'You just don't expect something like this to happen on a normal weekday.' Detectives from the Metropolitan Police's Specialist Crime Command are leading the investigation. Det Chief Supt Emma Bond, who leads policing for the area, said today: 'Our thoughts are first and foremost with the family and friends of the victims of this tragic incident. 'Our investigation continues at pace and we are working hard to understand the full circumstances. 'I understand there may be concern in the local community and there will be an increased police presence in the area over the coming days. I would also encourage anyone who may be worried to speak to an officer.' A crime scene remains in place and officers continue to investigate the circumstances. The stabbings are understood to have taken place near consultancy firm Prospira Global and housing provider Trademark Homes Police said they were aware of speculation the arrested man was staying at a nearby hotel but that this was not the case. Natasha Ennin, Southwark Council's cabinet member for community safety and neighbourhoods, said she was 'horrified and deeply saddened' by the deaths in the borough. She added that her 'heartfelt condolences' went out to the families and friends of those involved and called on anyone with information to report it. Anyone with information can also call 101, report online or contact 'X'@METCC and quote CAD3499/28.
The Independent
9 hours ago
- The Independent
Man arrested after two killed in Southwark quadruple stabbing
The Metropolitan Police said a 31-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after two men died following a stabbing at a business premises in Long Lane, Southwark.
